Consumer Protection

News about Consumer Protection, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 31, 2015

Justice Dept prosecutors and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau officials are trying to root out auto industry practice of reverse-redlining, which singles out minority borrowers and extends them costliest car loans; development could worsen economic decay in some black and Hispanic neighborhoods. MORE

Mar. 27, 2015

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposes regulations to rein in what are seen as predatory payday loans that often have interest rates of 400 percent or more; rules would cover most of $46 billion market that serves working poor. MORE

Mar. 11, 2015

New York Atty Gen Eric T Schneiderman opens inquiry into Lumber Liquidators following episode of 60 Minutes that accused discount retailer of selling laminate wood floors with high levels of formaldehyde; consumers flooded state and federal safety agencies with concerns about the carcinogenic material following broadcast. MORE

Feb. 14, 2015

Tara Siegel Bernard Your Money column welcomes Labor Dept's drafting of rule, four years in making, that will safeguard retirement savings by requiring more financial advisers to increase their fiduciary duty, or put client's interests ahead of their commissions; notes latest activity was prompted by leaked White House memo stating that up to $17 billion annually of IRA investors' money was lost due to lack of consumer protections. MORE

Feb. 6, 2015

Steps are discussed for consumers to take to protect themselves in wake of cyberattack on Anthem's database of personal information of up to 80 million people; strategies entail increased awareness and some inconvenience. MORE

Jan. 31, 2015

Lack of federal regulation over disclosure of safety defects and recalls for used cars leaves buyers to do their own homework; deaths related to used cars with known defects are mounting as many buyers are unwittingly buying dangerous vehicles. MORE

Jan. 14, 2015

Editorial analyzes privacy laws proposed by Pres Obama for their efficacy in protecting Americans' personal information; expresses concern that proposal concerning data breaches at companies will not only hamper existing state privacy laws, but that it will also provide opportunity for federal government to weaken strong protections enacted by states; laments that Republicans in Congress are unlikely to implement law that truly protects consumers' privacy. MORE

Jan. 12, 2015

Rules issued by Treasury Dept and IRS at end of 2014 require, if nonprofit hospital wants to retain or attain tax-exempt status, it must offer some assistance to needy patients and refrain from using aggressive tactics to get low-income patients to pay hospital bills; rules are backed by Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which raises possibility that they could influence behavior of for-profit hospitals. MORE

Dec. 31, 2014

Editorial Keeping Track column offers updates on rules proposed by Obama administration that will offer more protection for members of military from predatory loans; notes status of minimum wage laws at both federal and state levels; criticizes Food and Drug Administration revision to ban blood donations from gay men as illogical. MORE

Dec. 27, 2014

Op-Ed article by telecommunications executive Fred B Campbell Jr warns that rules being developed by industry group to define Federal Trade Commission's proposed 'Do Not Track' plan will effectively free companies from honoring Internet privacy requests of citizens; says loophole would allow Internet giants to continue collecting data about web browsing habits of users; accuses Federal Trade Commission of abandoning its responsibility to consumers and allowing companies to make decisions better left to government. MORE

Dec. 20, 2014

Consumer Product Safety Commission spends months before holiday season screening thousands of shipments of imported toys and products to check for hazards, but does not have enough money or staffing to catch all counterfeit or defective merchandise entering the states; warns shoppers to be extremely careful about things they may buy on street or in discount stores, and to stick to established retailers they trust. MORE

Nov. 20, 2014

Editorial supports three new bills that would deter corporations from covering up safety defects and punish those individuals and companies that do so; says bills, engendered by the General Motors safety scandal, should be placed high on agenda of new Congress MORE

Nov. 17, 2014

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment plans to ask lawmakers for panel to determine regulations on sale of marijuana edibles and drinks, saying product too closely resembles snacks and candy consumed by children. MORE

Oct. 23, 2014

The Upshot; analysis finds that many websites limit users' legal recourse if things go wrong; whether these legal provisions, known as forced arbitration clauses and class-action ban clauses, are fair is a long-running argument. MORE

Oct. 16, 2014

Op-Ed article by Prof Devin Fergus maintains regulators must get tougher on hidden charges that assail consumers; contends Americans have been increasingly hit with fees they know nothing about, which have contributed to crisis of consumer debt; holds regulators should proactively set out rules for best practices on disclosing fees. MORE

Oct. 12, 2014

Retirement investors are encouraged to check credentials of financial advisers before heeding their recommendations; standard brokers are not strictly required to put customer interests before their own; rule, known as the fiduciary standard, only applies to certain professionals. MORE

Sep. 16, 2014

Consumer advocacy groups says regional recalls by automakers, which limit notification and repairs to specific states or regions based on factors that cause part to fail, leave some defective and dangerous vehicles on the road; General Motors and other carmakers argue it makes no sense to repair vehicles elsewhere, and federal safety officials typically go along. MORE

Sep. 4, 2014

Your Money Adviser column asserts that promotional offers for transferring balances to low-interest credit cards can carry risks that consumers may not fully understand; provides some tips for avoiding pitfalls. MORE

Aug. 9, 2014

Editorial calls on federal government to regulate auto lending industry, where practice of luring people into loans that damage them financially is all too common; urges Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission, main regulators of the industry, to move swiftly and aggressively. MORE

Jul. 21, 2014

Rep Robert Latta, Republican whose Ohio district is home to several Whirlpool factories, introduces bill that would ban class-action lawsuits against companies that claim Energy Star label results, but do not deliver on such claims; suggests that if Environmental Protection Agency could determine a resolution like reimbursing consumers for money lost because of misleading claims, lawsuits should be disallowed; critics hold ban would leave consumers unprotected. MORE

Jul. 20, 2014

Editorial welcomes new rules being drawn up by federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to protect borrowers from unscrupulous payday lenders; outlines ways that the bureau could attack entire payday lending industry. MORE

Jul. 19, 2014

Tara Siegel Bernard Your Money column on problems that arise when one needs to take investment brokers to arbitration to settle disputes; policies of regulatory organization that oversees Wall Street, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, known as Finra, are frequent complaint of consumer advocates MORE

Jul. 13, 2014

The debt settlement industry, already accused of questionable tactics related to mortgages, is finding a gold mine of new clients among those with college loans. MORE

Jul. 11, 2014

Federal Trade Commission files suit contending that Amazon improperly billed customers for charges that children made without their parents’ consent; suit focuses on charges related to games downloaded through Amazon's app store. MORE

Jun. 25, 2014

Coalition of 11 consumer groups asks Federal Trade Commission to investigate nation's largest used-car retailer CarMax, saying its advertisements are deceptive; groups say CarMax does not fix vehicles that have been recalled before it sells them, even though retailer's ads promise vehicles have had rigorous quality inspection. MORE

Jun. 22, 2014

Gretchen Morgenson Fair Game column notes that consumer credit reporting agencies have continued to rack up serious errors despite paying millions in fines and settlements, indicating that they might consider penalties a cost of doing business; argues that errors can have devastating consequences, increasing borrowing costs, upending mortgage applications, and even souring job opportunities; calls on regulators and overseers to address issue. MORE

Jun. 18, 2014

Television host Dr Mehmet Oz offers to help 'drain the swamp' of unscrupulous marketers using his name to sell so-called miracle pills for weight loss; appearing before Senate’s consumer protection panel, he is scolded for his claims about weight-loss aids on The Dr Oz Show. MORE

Jun. 18, 2014

Food and Drug Administration proposes new rules that will require drug and medical device makers to disclose risks, along with benefits, of products on social media platforms, even when the allowable length of messages is very limited as on Twitter. MORE

Jun. 18, 2014

Mark Bittman Op-Ed column calls attention to paper published in journal Social Currents by sociologist Ivy Ken, who asserts that food companies continue to promote unhealthy products while presenting themselves as part of the solution to obesity crisis; contends government must regulate and oversee industry in way that protects public health. MORE

Jun. 15, 2014

New York’s attorney general is taking aim at databases that have been criticized for limiting access to banking services. MORE

Jun. 13, 2014

Financial industry is fiercely fighting a Labor Department proposal that would legally require more finance professionals to act in their customers’ best interest, even if they are advising them on their retirement money; department has postponed rule, which amends 1975 law governing when investment advisers become fiduciaries, until January. MORE

Jun. 11, 2014

Artisanal cheese makers and consumers express outrage over decision by Food and Drug Administration to question use of wood forms and shelves for cheeses; FDA holds wood retains bacteria and cannot be properly cleaned, which can lead to consumer illness; American Cheese Society reports that more than a third of all cheese makers in America use wood in their process. MORE

May. 24, 2014

Phone swindlers prey on an elderly victim's sense of duty, presenting scams that catch them unaware and vulnerable; many seniors, who are targeted because of their retirement nest egg, do not report crimes out of embarrassment. MORE

May. 15, 2014

Retailers Industry Leaders Assn, along with several top retailers, opens intelligence-sharing center focused on prevention of cybercrimes against retailers. MORE

Apr. 22, 2014

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report finds that some people who pay private student loans on time are being placed in default when the co-signer of their loans dies or declares bankruptcy; Rohit Chopra, bureau’s student loan ombudsman, urges people to review their loan provisions. MORE

Apr. 19, 2014

Alina Tugend Shortcuts column; car insurance premiums may go up or down based not only on driving records, but also factors like voting records and credit scores; Consumer Federation of America and New York Public Interest Research Group have released separate reports that say factors insurance companies are using to determine rates are detrimental to consumers, especially to low-income customers. MORE

Apr. 19, 2014

Ann Carrns Your Money Adviser column on BillGuard app, which helps users track activity across all their credit and debit card accounts and makes approving or contesting suspicious charges as simple as a swipe. MORE

Apr. 8, 2014

Tax season brings the biggest one-time influx of money many low-income Americans see all year, but it also attracts unscrupulous tax preparers; with almost no regulation in tax preparation industry and tax code that is forbiddingly complex, billions flowing into low-income households, primarily from earned-income tax credits, present ripe target. MORE

Mar. 31, 2014

Provision in New York State budget agreement is intended to protect consumers by requiring that they be given notice when out-of-network doctor is involved in their health care; every year, thousands of New Yorkers find themselves responsible for a surprise medical bill from a doctor, like an anesthesiologist, who becomes involved in their care but, unbeknown to them, is not covered by their insurance. MORE

Mar. 30, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column relates solution to case in which a couple that had signed up for insurance at Healthcare.gov was given a policy that only included the husband's name. MORE

Mar. 27, 2014

New York State Atty Gen Eric T Schneiderman will announce settlement that bans Hollywood Tans NYC, indoor tanning salon in Chelsea, from making misleading health claims about the safety of its tanning beds; will announce similar settlement with parent company HT Franchising Management LLC, which has six other franchises in state, and prohibits company from marketing to high school students. MORE

Mar. 22, 2014

Banks and Federal Reserve are dealt a victory in ongoing debit card fee wars when federal appeals court overturns lower court's decision, meaning amount banks collect from retailers when consumers swipe debit cards can remain as is, and not be further reduced; retailers are expected to continue fighting ruling, which hurts consumers. MORE

Mar. 18, 2014

States are increasing efforts to shield vulnerable Americans from short-term loans with interest rates that can exceed 300 percent. MORE

Mar. 8, 2014

Your Money Adviser column; interactive map created by AARP provides alerts from state authorities and reports by consumers of their own experiences in effort to protect against fraudulent schemes targeting older Americans. MORE

Mar. 2, 2014

David Segal The Haggler column; smartphone buyer reports an assortment of problems under his pay-as-you-go plan, and asks the Haggler for help in getting a service-charge refund. MORE

Feb. 25, 2014

Joe Nocera Op-Ed column argues that data mining by Google, Facebook and other massive Internet companies is creating a privacy crisis in the United States; presents suggestions gathered from industry experts on what exactly should be included in consumer privacy bill of rights that has been called for by the Obama administration. MORE

Feb. 24, 2014

Editorial warns that some of the information collected by companies about consumers using the Internet is highly personal, and sometimes clearly irrelevant to any marketing campaign; urges John Podesta, who has been tasked by Pres Obama to look into privacy and big data, to provide specific legislative proposals to give consumers more control over their information. MORE

Feb. 22, 2014

Feb. 11, 2014

Ron Lieber Your Money column notes that putting a security freeze on one's credit report from the three big credit bureaus will stop anyone from opening a new account under that name; explains how to sign up for one. MORE